fbpx
Wikipedia

ArmaLite

April 11, 2023

ArmaLite, or Armalite, is an American small arms engineering company, formed in the early 1950s, in Hollywood, California. Many of its products, as conceived by chief designer Eugene Stoner, relied on unique foam-filled fiberglass butt/stock furniture, and a composite barrel using a steel liner inside an aluminum sleeve, including the iconic AR15/M16 family. While the original ArmaLite ceased business in the 1980s, the brand was revived in 1996, by Mark Westrom.

ArmaLite
TypeSubsidiary
IndustryArms industry
Founded1954 (original company)
1996 (current company)
Headquarters
Phoenix, Arizona
,
U.S.
ProductsFirearms and accessories
Number of employees
51–200 (est.)
Parent
Websitearmalite.com

Originating as the light firearms division of Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation, ArmaLite was formally incorporated in 1954. Stoner's first design, the AR-1 Parasniper (dating from 1952),[1] was relatively unsuccessful. However, in 1956, when ArmaLite competed in a contest for an aircrew survival rifle, its AR-5 and AR-7 designs were put into production and adopted by elements of the US military. The following year, ArmaLite also competed for the contract for a new main US combat rifle, in the NATO standard 7.62 mm caliber, with its AR-10. While that bid was unsuccessful, the rifle attracted the attention of both Colt and the Dutch company Artillerie-Inrichtingen, both of which acquired licenses to manufacture the AR-10.

In 1962, Fairchild relinquished its interest in ArmaLite, which continued as an independent company.

The AR-15, chambered for the new, lightweight, high velocity 5.56 mm round, included features of Stoner's previous designs. Under financial pressure, ArmaLite sold the entire rights to the AR-15 design to Colt, which quickly secured significant US military and law enforcement contracts for the weapon, beginning with the USAF Security Forces (1962). A variant of the Colt product was adopted as the US Army's main combat rifle, from 1964, as the Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16. By the 1980s, it had also been adopted by the militaries of many US allies, especially within NATO countries. The M16 remained the primary combat rifle of the US military until 2016. (It will reportedly be completely out of service by the mid-2030s.[citation needed]) Furthermore, its replacements have often been derivatives of the M16 (e.g. the M4 carbine), or other ArmaLite and/or Eugene Stoner designs (e.g. M27–IAR).

ArmaLite had other brushes with success, especially with the ArmaLite AR-18 (also 5.56 mm). These were not enough to sustain the company, and it ceased operations in the early 1980s.[2] The design rights and name were purchased in 1996 by Mark Westrom, who re-launched the company ArmaLite, Inc., headquartered in Geneseo, Illinois.[1]

In 2013, Westrom sold ArmaLite, Inc. to Strategic Armory Corps, which owns AWC Silencers, Surgeon Rifles, Nexus Ammo, and McMillan Firearms. Strategic Armory Corps was formed to acquire and combine market-leading companies within the firearms industry.[3] In 2014, 3-Gun Champion Tommy Thacker was appointed president. In 2015, ArmaLite introduced 18 new products, including AR-10 and M-15 platform firearms. In mid-2018, ArmaLite relocated to Phoenix, Arizona.

History

ArmaLite began as a small arms engineering concern founded by George Sullivan, the patent counsel for Lockheed Corporation, and funded by Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation.[4] After leasing a small machine shop[5] at 6567 Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood, California, Sullivan hired several employees and began work on a prototype for a lightweight survival rifle for use by downed aircrew.[4] On October 1, 1954, the company was incorporated as the ArmaLite Corporation, becoming a subdivision of Fairchild.[4] With its limited capital and tiny machine shop, ArmaLite was never intended to be an arms manufacturer[4] but was instead focused on producing small arms concepts and designs to be sold or licensed to other manufacturers.[4] While testing the prototype of ArmaLite's survival rifle design at a local shooting range, Sullivan met Eugene Stoner, a talented small arms inventor, whom Sullivan immediately hired to be ArmaLite's chief design engineer.[4] Stoner was a Marine in World War II and an expert with small arms. Since the early 1950s, he had worked various jobs while building gun prototypes in his spare time. At the time, ArmaLite Inc. was a small organization. As late as 1956, it had only nine employees, including Stoner.[4]

With Stoner as the chief design engineer, ArmaLite quickly released several innovative rifle ideas.[6] The first ArmaLite concept to be adopted for production was the AR-5, a survival rifle chambered for the .22 Hornet cartridge. The AR-5 was adopted by the U.S. Air Force as the MA-1 Survival Rifle.

A civilian survival weapon, the AR-7, was later introduced, chambered in .22 Long Rifle. The semi-automatic AR-7, like the AR-5, could be disassembled, and the components stored in the buttstock. Primarily made of alloys, the AR-7 would float, whether assembled or stored, due to the design of the buttstock, filled with plastic foam. Several companies have produced the AR-7 and derivative models since their introduction in the late 1950s, including Henry Repeating Arms, of Bayonne, New Jersey.

ArmaLite spent most of its time and engineering effort in 1955 and 1956 developing the prototypes for what would become the ArmaLite AR-10. Based on Stoner's fourth prototype, Springfield Armory tested two hand-built production AR-10s in late 1956 and again in 1957 as a possible replacement to the venerable yet outdated M1 Garand. The untested AR-10 faced competition from the two other significant rifle designs, the Springfield Armory T-44, an updated M1 Garand design that became the M14, and the T-48, a version of the famous Belgian FN FAL rifle. The T-44 and the T-48 were several years more advanced than the AR-10 in development and trial testing; the T-44 had the additional advantage of being an in-house Springfield Armory design.[7] The Army eventually selected the T-44 over both the AR-10 and the T-48.

ArmaLite continued to market the AR-10 based on a limited production of rifles at its Hollywood facility. These limited-production, virtually hand-built rifles are "Hollywood" model AR-10s.[8] In 1957, Fairchild/ArmaLite sold a five-year manufacturing license for the AR-10 to the Dutch arms manufacturer Artillerie-Inrichtingen (AI). Converting the AR-10 engineering drawings to metric, AI found the Hollywood version of the AR-10 deficient in many respects[citation needed] and made many significant design and engineering changes in the AR-10 that continued throughout the production run in the Netherlands. Firearms historians[who?] have separated AR-10 production under the AI license into three identifiable versions of the AR-10: the "Sudanese" model, the "Transitional", and the "Portuguese" model AR-10.[citation needed] The Sudanese version derives its name from its sale to the government of Sudan, which purchased approximately 2,500 AR-10 rifles, while the Transitional model incorporated additional design changes based on experience with the Sudanese model in the field. The final AI-produced AR-10, the Portuguese, was a product-improved variant sold to the Portuguese Air Force for use by paratroopers.[9] While AR-10 production at AI dwarfed that of ArmaLite's Hollywood shop, it was still limited, as sales to foreign armies proved elusive. Guatemala, Burma, Italy, Cuba, Sudan and Portugal all purchased AR-10 rifles for limited issue to their military forces,[9][10][11][12] resulting in a total production of less than 10,000 AR-10 rifles in four years. ArmaLite never adopted AI's suggested design changes and product improvements.[citation needed]

Disappointed with AR-10 sales, Fairchild ArmaLite decided to terminate its association with AI and instead concentrate on producing a small-caliber version of the AR-10 to meet a requirement for the U.S. Air Force. Using the Hollywood-produced AR-10, the prototype was downsized in dimensions to accept the .223 Remington (5.56 mm) cartridge.[13] This resulted in the ArmaLite AR-15, designed by Eugene Stoner, Jim Sullivan, and Bob Fremont, and chambered in 5.56 mm caliber.[13] ArmaLite also re-introduced the AR-10, this time using a design derived from the original Hollywood prototypes of 1956, and designated the AR-10A. Unable to produce either rifle in quantity, ArmaLite licensed both designs to Colt in early 1959. That same year, ArmaLite moved its corporate offices and engineering and production shop to new premises at 118 East 16th Street in Costa Mesa, California.[14]

Frustrated by what it perceived as unnecessary production delays at AI and poor AR-10 sales, Fairchild decided not to renew Artillerie-Inrichtingen's license to produce the AR-10. In 1962, disappointed with ArmaLite's meager profits, primarily derived from licensing fees, Fairchild dissolved its association with ArmaLite.[14]

With the AR-10 and AR-15 designs sold to Colt, ArmaLite was left without a viable major infantry arm to market to potential manufacturers and end users. ArmaLite developed a series of less expensive new rifle designs in 7.62 mm and 5.56 mm. The 7.62 mm NATO rifle was designated the AR-16. The AR-16 and the other newly designed ArmaLites utilized a more traditional gas piston design with stamped and welded steel construction in place of aluminum forgings. Due to the success of the FN FAL, H&K G3, and the US M14, the 7.62 mm AR-16 (not to be confused with the M16) was produced only in prototype quantities. ArmaLite also developed the AR-17, a 5.5-pound, two-shot autoloading shotgun based on the short-recoil principle with aluminum and plastic construction; ArmaLite only produced about 1,200.[15]

In 1963, development began on the AR-18 rifle, a "downsized" 5.56 mm AR-16 with a new gas system utilizing a short stroke gas piston instead of the Stoner direct gas impingement system used on the AR-10 and AR-15. Designed by Art Miller, ArmaLite accompanied the AR-18 with a semi-automatic version, the AR-180.[2] However, the sales success of the AR-15 worldwide to the U.S. military and other nations proved the undoing of the AR-18, and the latter failed to garner substantial orders. In response to criticism of the rifle's performance in trials by the military in the United States and Great Britain, ArmaLite made a few minor improvements to the original design but did little else. ArmaLite manufactured some AR-18 and AR-180 rifles at its Costa Mesa facility and later licensed production to Howa Machinery Co. in Japan. However, Japan prohibited the sale of military-style arms to combative nations. With the United States involved in the Vietnam War, production at the Howa plant was limited. ArmaLite then licensed production to Sterling Armaments in Dagenham, Great Britain. Sales remained modest.[clarification needed] Today, the AR-180 is best known for its use by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in Ireland, who received small quantities of the rifle from black market sources. The AR-18 gas system and rotating bolt mechanism did serve as the basis for the current British small arms family, the SA80, which came from the XL65, essentially an AR-18 in bullpup configuration.[citation needed] Other designs, such as the Singapore SAR-80 and German G36, are based upon the AR-18.[citation needed]

A derivative of the AR-18 was the AR-100 series. It came in four variants: the closed-bolt AR-101 assault rifle and AR-102 carbine, and the open-bolt fired AR-103 carbine and AR-104 light machine gun with ejecting magazines. ArmaLite intended the weapon to increase a squad's firepower and mobility. It was never adopted but led to the Ultimax 100.

By the 1970s, ArmaLite had essentially stopped all new rifle development, and the company effectively ceased operations.[2] In 1983, ArmaLite was sold to the Elisco Tool Manufacturing Company of the Philippines. The AR-18 tooling at the Costa Mesa shop went to the Philippines. At the same time, some of the remaining ArmaLite employees acquired the remaining inventory of parts for the AR-17 and AR-18.[2] Elisco had planned to pitch the AR-18 as a replacement for the license-produced M16A1 then in service with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and such made several modifications to the design. Twenty (20) prototypes of four types (AR 101, AR 102, AR 103, AR 104) were built and underwent testing and evaluation. About 3,500 of these rifles, collectively designated the AR Series 100 were approved for production.[16] Production plans for the AR Series 100 would fail to push through as Elisco would dissolve and liquidate its assets in the late 1980s.

Resurrection of the ArmaLite brand

 
ArmaLite AR-10B

After passing through a series of owners, Mark Westrom, a former U.S. Army ordnance officer and inventor of a 7.62 NATO sniper rifle based on Eugene Stoner's design concepts, purchased the ArmaLite brand name and rampant lion logo in 1996. The company resumed business as ArmaLite Inc. ArmaLite produced some AR-15 and AR-10-based rifles, as well as .50 BMG rifles (the AR-50), and a modified AR-180 named the AR-180B (discontinued in 2009). In the mid-2000s, ArmaLite announced that it was introducing a handgun line including the AR-24 and AR-26 (both pistols also discontinued).

In 2013, Westrom sold ArmaLite, Inc. to Strategic Armory Corps, owner of AWC Silencers, Surgeon Rifles, Nexus Ammo, and McMillan Firearms. Strategic Armory Corps was formed to acquire and combine firearm companies.[3]

Products

(1954–1983)

  • AR-1 "Parasniper", bolt-action rifle (1954 prototype, was not developed further)
  • AR-3, 7.62×51 mm NATO select-fire battle rifle (prototype, used as a test-bed for rifle design features)[17]
  • AR-5, .22 Hornet bolt-action survival rifle (1954–1955), was submitted to replace the Air Force's standard survival rifle.
  • AR-7 "Explorer", .22 LR semi-auto survival rifle
  • AR-9, semi-auto 12-gauge shotgun (1955 prototype, forerunner of the AR-17)
  • AR-10, 7.62×51 mm NATO select-fire battle rifle (1955–1959)
  • AR-11, .222 Remington select-fire rifle (prototype, smaller version of the AR-3)
  • AR-12, 7.62×51 mm NATO select-fire battle rifle[18]
  • AR-14, .243 Winchester, .308 Winchester, or .358 Winchester semi-auto sporting rifle (1956)[19][20][21]
  • AR-15, .223 Remington select-fire rifle (smaller version of the AR-10 and forerunner of the M16 rifle, made from 1956-1959)
  • AR-16, 7.62×51 mm NATO select-fire battle rifle (1959–1960)
  • AR-17, semi-auto 12-gauge shotgun[22][23]
  • AR-18, .223 Remington select-fire rifle (smaller version of the AR-16, made 1962–1964)
  • AR-180, .223 Remington semi-auto sporting rifle (civilian version of the AR-18)

(ArmaLite, Inc. 1996–present)

  • AR-10B, .308 Win semi-auto rifle (1994–Present)
  • AR-10A, .308 Win semi-auto rifle (2006–Present) (re-designed AR-10 - most parts are not compatible with AR-10B)
  • AR-10 SuperSASS, .308 Win semi-auto sniper system (2006–Present)
  • AR-19, 9mm pistol caliber carbine (20?-Present)
  • AR-20, .50 BMG single shot rifle (1998–1999)
  • AR-22, blank firing device for the Mk 19 40 mm grenade launcher (1998–2008)
  • AR-23, sub-caliber training device for the Mk 19 40 mm grenade launcher (1998–2008)
  • AR-24, 9 mm pistol (2006–2012)
  • AR-30, .308 Win, .338 Lapua Magnum, .300 WIN MAG bolt-action rifle (1999–2012)
  • AR-30A1, .300 WIN MAG, .338 Lapua Magnum bolt-action rifle (2013–present) (re-designed AR-30; most parts are not compatible with AR-30)
  • AR-31, .308 Win bolt-action rifle (2013–present)
  • AR-50, .50 BMG single-shot rifle (1998–present)
  • AR-180B, 5.56 mm semi-auto rifle (2001–2009)
  • M-15, 5.56 mm semi-auto rifle (1994–present)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "History - Armalite". Retrieved October 15, 2016.
  2. ^ a b c d Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, p. 92
  3. ^ a b "Strategic Armory Corps". Strategic Armory Corps. SAC Firearms. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, pp. 23–26
  5. ^ Pikula, p. 25: The workshop on Santa Monica occupied only 1000 square feet, and was referred to as 'George's backyard garage' by employees.
  6. ^ Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, pp. 30-36
  7. ^ Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, pp. 39-40
  8. ^ Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, pp. 29, 31
  9. ^ a b Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, p. 78
  10. ^ Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, p. 45
  11. ^ Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, p. 72,73
  12. ^ Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, p. 75
  13. ^ a b Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, p. 88
  14. ^ a b Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, p. 90
  15. ^ Hahn, Nick, The 'Other' Autoloaders, Gun Digest 2011, 65th ed., F+W Media (2010), p. 69
  16. ^ Danilo Lazo & Juanita Mercader. The AFP Self-Reliance Defense Posture (SRDP) Program: Leading the Nation Towards a New Direction (PDF) (Report). p. 151. (PDF) from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved October 3, 2015.
  17. ^ "springfield armory".
  18. ^ "sturmgewher.com".
  19. ^ Evans, Joseph Putnam (2016). . Collector Grade Publications. p. 39. ISBN 978-0889355835. Archived from the original on December 10, 2016.
  20. ^ Evans, Joseph Putnam (2016). The ArmaLite AR-10: World's Finest Battle Rifle. Collector Grade Publications. p. 39. ISBN 978-0889355835.
  21. ^ US Expired 2951424, Stoner, Eugene, "Gas operated bolt and carrier system", issued 1960-09-06, assigned to Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corp 
  22. ^ "ArmaLite AR-17 Shotgun". www.chuckhawks.com. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
  23. ^ "Armalite AR-17: A Shotgun from the World of Tomorrow!". www.youtube.com. Archived from the original on December 15, 2021. Retrieved January 27, 2018.

Sources

  • McElrath, Daniel T. (December 10, 2004). "Golden Days At ArmaLite". American Rifleman. National Rifle Association of America. Retrieved February 20, 2021.
  • Pikula, Sam (Major), The ArmaLite AR-10, Regnum Fund Press (1998), ISBN 9986-494-38-9
  • Walter, John (2006). Rifles of the World. Krause Publications. pp. 34–37. ISBN 978-0-89689-241-5.

External links

  • Official website

April 11, 2023
armalite, armalite, american, small, arms, engineering, company, formed, early, 1950s, hollywood, california, many, products, conceived, chief, designer, eugene, stoner, relied, unique, foam, filled, fiberglass, butt, stock, furniture, composite, barrel, using. ArmaLite or Armalite is an American small arms engineering company formed in the early 1950s in Hollywood California Many of its products as conceived by chief designer Eugene Stoner relied on unique foam filled fiberglass butt stock furniture and a composite barrel using a steel liner inside an aluminum sleeve including the iconic AR15 M16 family While the original ArmaLite ceased business in the 1980s the brand was revived in 1996 by Mark Westrom ArmaLiteTypeSubsidiaryIndustryArms industryFounded1954 original company 1996 current company HeadquartersPhoenix Arizona U S ProductsFirearms and accessoriesNumber of employees51 200 est ParentFairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation 1954 1962 Strategic Armory Corps 2013 Present Websitearmalite wbr comOriginating as the light firearms division of Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation ArmaLite was formally incorporated in 1954 Stoner s first design the AR 1 Parasniper dating from 1952 1 was relatively unsuccessful However in 1956 when ArmaLite competed in a contest for an aircrew survival rifle its AR 5 and AR 7 designs were put into production and adopted by elements of the US military The following year ArmaLite also competed for the contract for a new main US combat rifle in the NATO standard 7 62 mm caliber with its AR 10 While that bid was unsuccessful the rifle attracted the attention of both Colt and the Dutch company Artillerie Inrichtingen both of which acquired licenses to manufacture the AR 10 In 1962 Fairchild relinquished its interest in ArmaLite which continued as an independent company The AR 15 chambered for the new lightweight high velocity 5 56 mm round included features of Stoner s previous designs Under financial pressure ArmaLite sold the entire rights to the AR 15 design to Colt which quickly secured significant US military and law enforcement contracts for the weapon beginning with the USAF Security Forces 1962 A variant of the Colt product was adopted as the US Army s main combat rifle from 1964 as the Rifle Caliber 5 56 mm M16 By the 1980s it had also been adopted by the militaries of many US allies especially within NATO countries The M16 remained the primary combat rifle of the US military until 2016 It will reportedly be completely out of service by the mid 2030s citation needed Furthermore its replacements have often been derivatives of the M16 e g the M4 carbine or other ArmaLite and or Eugene Stoner designs e g M27 IAR ArmaLite had other brushes with success especially with the ArmaLite AR 18 also 5 56 mm These were not enough to sustain the company and it ceased operations in the early 1980s 2 The design rights and name were purchased in 1996 by Mark Westrom who re launched the company ArmaLite Inc headquartered in Geneseo Illinois 1 In 2013 Westrom sold ArmaLite Inc to Strategic Armory Corps which owns AWC Silencers Surgeon Rifles Nexus Ammo and McMillan Firearms Strategic Armory Corps was formed to acquire and combine market leading companies within the firearms industry 3 In 2014 3 Gun Champion Tommy Thacker was appointed president In 2015 ArmaLite introduced 18 new products including AR 10 and M 15 platform firearms In mid 2018 ArmaLite relocated to Phoenix Arizona Contents 1 History 1 1 Resurrection of the ArmaLite brand 2 Products 2 1 1954 1983 2 2 ArmaLite Inc 1996 present 3 See also 4 References 5 Sources 6 External linksHistory EditArmaLite began as a small arms engineering concern founded by George Sullivan the patent counsel for Lockheed Corporation and funded by Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corporation 4 After leasing a small machine shop 5 at 6567 Santa Monica Boulevard in Hollywood California Sullivan hired several employees and began work on a prototype for a lightweight survival rifle for use by downed aircrew 4 On October 1 1954 the company was incorporated as the ArmaLite Corporation becoming a subdivision of Fairchild 4 With its limited capital and tiny machine shop ArmaLite was never intended to be an arms manufacturer 4 but was instead focused on producing small arms concepts and designs to be sold or licensed to other manufacturers 4 While testing the prototype of ArmaLite s survival rifle design at a local shooting range Sullivan met Eugene Stoner a talented small arms inventor whom Sullivan immediately hired to be ArmaLite s chief design engineer 4 Stoner was a Marine in World War II and an expert with small arms Since the early 1950s he had worked various jobs while building gun prototypes in his spare time At the time ArmaLite Inc was a small organization As late as 1956 it had only nine employees including Stoner 4 With Stoner as the chief design engineer ArmaLite quickly released several innovative rifle ideas 6 The first ArmaLite concept to be adopted for production was the AR 5 a survival rifle chambered for the 22 Hornet cartridge The AR 5 was adopted by the U S Air Force as the MA 1 Survival Rifle A civilian survival weapon the AR 7 was later introduced chambered in 22 Long Rifle The semi automatic AR 7 like the AR 5 could be disassembled and the components stored in the buttstock Primarily made of alloys the AR 7 would float whether assembled or stored due to the design of the buttstock filled with plastic foam Several companies have produced the AR 7 and derivative models since their introduction in the late 1950s including Henry Repeating Arms of Bayonne New Jersey ArmaLite spent most of its time and engineering effort in 1955 and 1956 developing the prototypes for what would become the ArmaLite AR 10 Based on Stoner s fourth prototype Springfield Armory tested two hand built production AR 10s in late 1956 and again in 1957 as a possible replacement to the venerable yet outdated M1 Garand The untested AR 10 faced competition from the two other significant rifle designs the Springfield Armory T 44 an updated M1 Garand design that became the M14 and the T 48 a version of the famous Belgian FN FAL rifle The T 44 and the T 48 were several years more advanced than the AR 10 in development and trial testing the T 44 had the additional advantage of being an in house Springfield Armory design 7 The Army eventually selected the T 44 over both the AR 10 and the T 48 ArmaLite continued to market the AR 10 based on a limited production of rifles at its Hollywood facility These limited production virtually hand built rifles are Hollywood model AR 10s 8 In 1957 Fairchild ArmaLite sold a five year manufacturing license for the AR 10 to the Dutch arms manufacturer Artillerie Inrichtingen AI Converting the AR 10 engineering drawings to metric AI found the Hollywood version of the AR 10 deficient in many respects citation needed and made many significant design and engineering changes in the AR 10 that continued throughout the production run in the Netherlands Firearms historians who have separated AR 10 production under the AI license into three identifiable versions of the AR 10 the Sudanese model the Transitional and the Portuguese model AR 10 citation needed The Sudanese version derives its name from its sale to the government of Sudan which purchased approximately 2 500 AR 10 rifles while the Transitional model incorporated additional design changes based on experience with the Sudanese model in the field The final AI produced AR 10 the Portuguese was a product improved variant sold to the Portuguese Air Force for use by paratroopers 9 While AR 10 production at AI dwarfed that of ArmaLite s Hollywood shop it was still limited as sales to foreign armies proved elusive Guatemala Burma Italy Cuba Sudan and Portugal all purchased AR 10 rifles for limited issue to their military forces 9 10 11 12 resulting in a total production of less than 10 000 AR 10 rifles in four years ArmaLite never adopted AI s suggested design changes and product improvements citation needed Disappointed with AR 10 sales Fairchild ArmaLite decided to terminate its association with AI and instead concentrate on producing a small caliber version of the AR 10 to meet a requirement for the U S Air Force Using the Hollywood produced AR 10 the prototype was downsized in dimensions to accept the 223 Remington 5 56 mm cartridge 13 This resulted in the ArmaLite AR 15 designed by Eugene Stoner Jim Sullivan and Bob Fremont and chambered in 5 56 mm caliber 13 ArmaLite also re introduced the AR 10 this time using a design derived from the original Hollywood prototypes of 1956 and designated the AR 10A Unable to produce either rifle in quantity ArmaLite licensed both designs to Colt in early 1959 That same year ArmaLite moved its corporate offices and engineering and production shop to new premises at 118 East 16th Street in Costa Mesa California 14 Frustrated by what it perceived as unnecessary production delays at AI and poor AR 10 sales Fairchild decided not to renew Artillerie Inrichtingen s license to produce the AR 10 In 1962 disappointed with ArmaLite s meager profits primarily derived from licensing fees Fairchild dissolved its association with ArmaLite 14 With the AR 10 and AR 15 designs sold to Colt ArmaLite was left without a viable major infantry arm to market to potential manufacturers and end users ArmaLite developed a series of less expensive new rifle designs in 7 62 mm and 5 56 mm The 7 62 mm NATO rifle was designated the AR 16 The AR 16 and the other newly designed ArmaLites utilized a more traditional gas piston design with stamped and welded steel construction in place of aluminum forgings Due to the success of the FN FAL H amp K G3 and the US M14 the 7 62 mm AR 16 not to be confused with the M16 was produced only in prototype quantities ArmaLite also developed the AR 17 a 5 5 pound two shot autoloading shotgun based on the short recoil principle with aluminum and plastic construction ArmaLite only produced about 1 200 15 In 1963 development began on the AR 18 rifle a downsized 5 56 mm AR 16 with a new gas system utilizing a short stroke gas piston instead of the Stoner direct gas impingement system used on the AR 10 and AR 15 Designed by Art Miller ArmaLite accompanied the AR 18 with a semi automatic version the AR 180 2 However the sales success of the AR 15 worldwide to the U S military and other nations proved the undoing of the AR 18 and the latter failed to garner substantial orders In response to criticism of the rifle s performance in trials by the military in the United States and Great Britain ArmaLite made a few minor improvements to the original design but did little else ArmaLite manufactured some AR 18 and AR 180 rifles at its Costa Mesa facility and later licensed production to Howa Machinery Co in Japan However Japan prohibited the sale of military style arms to combative nations With the United States involved in the Vietnam War production at the Howa plant was limited ArmaLite then licensed production to Sterling Armaments in Dagenham Great Britain Sales remained modest clarification needed Today the AR 180 is best known for its use by the Provisional Irish Republican Army in Ireland who received small quantities of the rifle from black market sources The AR 18 gas system and rotating bolt mechanism did serve as the basis for the current British small arms family the SA80 which came from the XL65 essentially an AR 18 in bullpup configuration citation needed Other designs such as the Singapore SAR 80 and German G36 are based upon the AR 18 citation needed A derivative of the AR 18 was the AR 100 series It came in four variants the closed bolt AR 101 assault rifle and AR 102 carbine and the open bolt fired AR 103 carbine and AR 104 light machine gun with ejecting magazines ArmaLite intended the weapon to increase a squad s firepower and mobility It was never adopted but led to the Ultimax 100 By the 1970s ArmaLite had essentially stopped all new rifle development and the company effectively ceased operations 2 In 1983 ArmaLite was sold to the Elisco Tool Manufacturing Company of the Philippines The AR 18 tooling at the Costa Mesa shop went to the Philippines At the same time some of the remaining ArmaLite employees acquired the remaining inventory of parts for the AR 17 and AR 18 2 Elisco had planned to pitch the AR 18 as a replacement for the license produced M16A1 then in service with the Armed Forces of the Philippines and such made several modifications to the design Twenty 20 prototypes of four types AR 101 AR 102 AR 103 AR 104 were built and underwent testing and evaluation About 3 500 of these rifles collectively designated the AR Series 100 were approved for production 16 Production plans for the AR Series 100 would fail to push through as Elisco would dissolve and liquidate its assets in the late 1980s Resurrection of the ArmaLite brand Edit ArmaLite AR 10B After passing through a series of owners Mark Westrom a former U S Army ordnance officer and inventor of a 7 62 NATO sniper rifle based on Eugene Stoner s design concepts purchased the ArmaLite brand name and rampant lion logo in 1996 The company resumed business as ArmaLite Inc ArmaLite produced some AR 15 and AR 10 based rifles as well as 50 BMG rifles the AR 50 and a modified AR 180 named the AR 180B discontinued in 2009 In the mid 2000s ArmaLite announced that it was introducing a handgun line including the AR 24 and AR 26 both pistols also discontinued In 2013 Westrom sold ArmaLite Inc to Strategic Armory Corps owner of AWC Silencers Surgeon Rifles Nexus Ammo and McMillan Firearms Strategic Armory Corps was formed to acquire and combine firearm companies 3 Products Edit 1954 1983 Edit AR 1 Parasniper bolt action rifle 1954 prototype was not developed further AR 3 7 62 51 mm NATO select fire battle rifle prototype used as a test bed for rifle design features 17 AR 5 22 Hornet bolt action survival rifle 1954 1955 was submitted to replace the Air Force s standard survival rifle AR 7 Explorer 22 LR semi auto survival rifle AR 9 semi auto 12 gauge shotgun 1955 prototype forerunner of the AR 17 AR 10 7 62 51 mm NATO select fire battle rifle 1955 1959 AR 11 222 Remington select fire rifle prototype smaller version of the AR 3 AR 12 7 62 51 mm NATO select fire battle rifle 18 AR 14 243 Winchester 308 Winchester or 358 Winchester semi auto sporting rifle 1956 19 20 21 AR 15 223 Remington select fire rifle smaller version of the AR 10 and forerunner of the M16 rifle made from 1956 1959 AR 16 7 62 51 mm NATO select fire battle rifle 1959 1960 AR 17 semi auto 12 gauge shotgun 22 23 AR 18 223 Remington select fire rifle smaller version of the AR 16 made 1962 1964 AR 180 223 Remington semi auto sporting rifle civilian version of the AR 18 ArmaLite Inc 1996 present Edit AR 10B 308 Win semi auto rifle 1994 Present AR 10A 308 Win semi auto rifle 2006 Present re designed AR 10 most parts are not compatible with AR 10B AR 10 SuperSASS 308 Win semi auto sniper system 2006 Present AR 19 9mm pistol caliber carbine 20 Present AR 20 50 BMG single shot rifle 1998 1999 AR 22 blank firing device for the Mk 19 40 mm grenade launcher 1998 2008 AR 23 sub caliber training device for the Mk 19 40 mm grenade launcher 1998 2008 AR 24 9 mm pistol 2006 2012 AR 30 308 Win 338 Lapua Magnum 300 WIN MAG bolt action rifle 1999 2012 AR 30A1 300 WIN MAG 338 Lapua Magnum bolt action rifle 2013 present re designed AR 30 most parts are not compatible with AR 30 AR 31 308 Win bolt action rifle 2013 present AR 50 50 BMG single shot rifle 1998 present AR 180B 5 56 mm semi auto rifle 2001 2009 M 15 5 56 mm semi auto rifle 1994 present See also EditList of ArmaLite rifles List of modern armament manufacturers ArmaLite and ballot box strategyReferences Edit a b History Armalite Retrieved October 15 2016 a b c d Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 p 92 a b Strategic Armory Corps Strategic Armory Corps SAC Firearms Retrieved November 10 2015 a b c d e f g Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 pp 23 26 Pikula p 25 The workshop on Santa Monica occupied only 1000 square feet and was referred to as George s backyard garage by employees Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 pp 30 36 Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 pp 39 40 Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 pp 29 31 a b Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 p 78 Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 p 45 Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 p 72 73 Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 p 75 a b Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 p 88 a b Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 p 90 Hahn Nick The Other Autoloaders Gun Digest 2011 65th ed F W Media 2010 p 69 Danilo Lazo amp Juanita Mercader The AFP Self Reliance Defense Posture SRDP Program Leading the Nation Towards a New Direction PDF Report p 151 Archived PDF from the original on October 4 2015 Retrieved October 3 2015 springfield armory sturmgewher com Evans Joseph Putnam 2016 The ArmaLite AR 10 World s Finest Battle Rifle Collector Grade Publications p 39 ISBN 978 0889355835 Archived from the original on December 10 2016 Evans Joseph Putnam 2016 The ArmaLite AR 10 World s Finest Battle Rifle Collector Grade Publications p 39 ISBN 978 0889355835 US Expired 2951424 Stoner Eugene Gas operated bolt and carrier system issued 1960 09 06 assigned to Fairchild Engine and Airplane Corp ArmaLite AR 17 Shotgun www chuckhawks com Retrieved July 12 2016 Armalite AR 17 A Shotgun from the World of Tomorrow www youtube com Archived from the original on December 15 2021 Retrieved January 27 2018 Sources EditMcElrath Daniel T December 10 2004 Golden Days At ArmaLite American Rifleman National Rifle Association of America Retrieved February 20 2021 Pikula Sam Major The ArmaLite AR 10 Regnum Fund Press 1998 ISBN 9986 494 38 9 Walter John 2006 Rifles of the World Krause Publications pp 34 37 ISBN 978 0 89689 241 5 External links EditOfficial website Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title ArmaLite amp oldid 1145064585, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.